[Mudge]

Morning

I pulled out a parsnip yesterday to thin them out and found it covered in bugs below the soil level. The plant look healthy above ground and as I only pulled up the one plant I'm worried that the others will have the same problem.
Can someone tell me what the blitters are and how to get rid of them?

[viettaclark]

It looks like an aphid or possibly mealybug to me but I may be wrong. They can be very destructive and secrete a sticky stuff that can eventually cause sooty moulds to develop.
Can you check a few more parsnips to see how great the problem is? Have you noticed an increase in ants in the bed?
Sorry I can't advise on treatment as I have only had it on a house plant which I managed to clean out using my fingers but someone else may have a solution.

[Salmo]

There are several species of aphid that live on roots. They are specific to a plant. Yours are probably pear-parsnip aphids. Like many aphids they have an alternate host plant where they overwinter as eggs in this case pear trees. According to the website below the parsnips should grow away from them

http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf/root-aphids-153697.pdf

[Mudge]

Thanks both of you.
I have noticed a few ants about when I've moved the stems of the snips.
What is the best way of getting rid of ants in a raised bed?

[Goosegirl]

Get an ant trap or two which you partially bury in the soil (under a tile?) in the main area- the ants will let you know! It's a round, black object with bait in it which you open by pulling off a strip of plastic. Worked in my greenhouse!

[viettaclark]

Ants don't actually do that much harm. They hate disruption so a good dig over works wonders and they pack their bags and move on.
Unfortunately your parsnips are in for a while so that's no good!!!